


every night with us is like a dream

by fangirl_squee



Category: The Thrilling Adventure Hour
Genre: F/F, F/M, Thrilling Adventure Hour Secret Santa 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 17:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5549477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_squee/pseuds/fangirl_squee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Oh Frank, isn’t this wonderful? Before marriage, and children, and being adults, and in her case a vampire, Donna and I would get into such wonderful trouble together.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	every night with us is like a dream

**Author's Note:**

  * For [w00t4ewan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/w00t4ewan/gifts).



> for my tah secret santa tumblr user saraskingsley, with special thanks to Sophie for betaing.
> 
> title from ‘New Romantics’ by Taylor Swift.

It was the first day of term and Sadie already wished it was over. That was not an unusual feeling for a school day, certainly, but it did not bode well for the rest of the year to be feeling that way on the very first day. She’d hoped to make it at least a few weeks into things before losing interest, but it was hard to not feel bored when she compared the dull walls of the classroom to her life back home.

The other girls were settling in around her, choosing their seating for the year. Some still sported the bobbed haircuts she had introduced to her schoolmates the year previous. Sadie smiled at the remembered scandal. Perhaps she would just have to make another change to keep things interesting for herself. She could have her hemlines shorted, or start wearing her brighter lipsticks.

Most of the class was seated when Sadie noticed an unfamiliar face. The girl fidgeted slightly in her stiff new clothes, her long blonde hair clumsily styled into waves. She looked around the classroom for an empty seat, fiddling with the leather strap of her satchel.

_Ah_ , thought Sadie, _new money._

She gently kicked the empty seat next to her so it wobbled, attracting the girl’s attention. Sadie smiled at her, inclining her head _just so_ towards the seat. The blonde girl sat down beside her, smiling broadly at Sadie.

“Thanks,” she said, thick American accent reminding Sadie of her holidays spent across the sea, “I’m kinda new to this stuff.”

“Yes,” said Sadie, “I could tell. Is this your first time at boarding school?”

“Yep! First time at boarding school, _and_ my first time out of the United States. It’s been a heck of an adventure, and - but I’m getting ahead of myself.” She straightened, putting on a more poised demeanor. “Donna Donner,” she said. 

Donna stuck out her hand to shake, as though they were two businessmen concluding a meeting. Donna’s grip was strong, and lightly callused.

_Definitely new money_ , thought Sadie, _how interesting._

“Sadie Parker,” said Sadie, “Charmed.”

And she was.

  
  


Donna was interesting and, even better, she was equally interested in Sadie. Whenever Sadie would tell her something, be it gossip about one of the teachers or the proper way to hold a dessert fork, Donna would nod seriously as though she would later be tested on the subject. Sadie was used to the other girls following her lead, but none of them seemed to take what she had to say with the weight that Donna did.

Although, that wasn’t to say she followed Sadie’s lead to the letter. Donna admired Sadie’s hair greatly but refused to cut her own hair in the same style, even though her long golden hair took three times as long to style as Sadie’s sleek bob cut.

“It took me a long time to get it like this!” Donna would say, laughing, “Unless I have some kind of hair disaster I don’t plan on starting it over.”

Sadie supposed it would have been a shame to cut it short, especially as it was quite a lot of fun to play around with while she helped Donna style it.

As Donna had never been to London or traveled in the social circles she now did, Sadie was happy to act as tour guide for Donner, showing her around the school and introducing her to the appropriate people. Donna seemed genuinely pleased to meet almost everyone, although Sadie sometimes had to intervene when Donna got a little _too_ inquisitive about certain individual’s personal lives. 

“ _Oh_!” Donna would say afterwards, eyes widening as Sadie had explained her conversational interference, “Well thank goodness I have you around Sadie, otherwise I would have made such a mess of things.”

“I’m very glad to be around, Donna darling,” Sadie would say.

After a few weeks of meeting those of influence, and attending class with the soon-to-be-influential Sadie decided it was time for Donna to be introduced to another side of London. She waited until they were alone, sitting together under a tree on the very edge of the school property.

“What sort of side?” asked Donna.

“The side that only comes alive at night,” said Sadie, “that is, unless you’d rather not.”

“Oh no,” said Donna, “I definitely do.”

Donna reached over and grabbed Sadie’s hand for emphasis, and squeezed it. Sadie squeezed it back. She was never quite sure why she did, only that she liked the warm way Donna smiled at her when she returned to motion.

“I’m afraid we might have to bend some school rules.”

“Sadie,” said Donna, her grin sharp, “I thought you’d never ask.” 

  
  


She took Donna to visit some of London’s more interesting establishments, most of which required a secondary entrance through another front, or a password, or both. They sat together in a tucked away booth, shoulders pressed together in the narrow confines. They’d shed their coats as soon as they’d entered, and Sadie was as excited to show off her new dress as she was to get out of the cold night air.

Sadie had been slightly worried that Donna would be unsettled by some of the more … bohemian places, but Donna reacted to them with her customary good humor. She seemed more surprised by the idea of a coat check than of the club’s clientele.

“They’re not doing anything more shocking than the folks at that other club,” said Donna, taking a sip of her drink, “besides, one of my uncles is a confirmed bachelor type, and he’s all right.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” said Donna. She frowned. “Why, is that a problem?”

“Not at all darling. I’ve just never known anyone else to admit it. Mother doesn’t like us to talk about it, but my sister is so inclined as well.” Sadie paused. “And so am I, on occasion.”

“Oh!” said Donna, smiling brightly at Sadie and clasping Sadie’s hand, “me too!”

“Oh,” said Sadie.

They clinked glasses. Donna squeezed Sadie’s hand and Sadie squeezed back, feeling very warm.

  
  


They returned to the dorms a little later than usual that night. Sadie normally liked to keep a good time buffer between their return and morning bed check, but each time she had thought to tell Donna that they should make their way home, Donna would smile at her and Sadie would push the thought aside, wanting the night to go on for as long as possible.

Donna boosted her over the fence, and the two girls crept towards the dorms in the predawn light. Sadie paused when they got to the lattice they used to climb up to their dorm room window, biting her lip.

“Sadie?” said Donna, “What’s the matter? Is it broken or something?”

“What? Oh, it’s nothing, I was just thinking of something and I supposed I must have got caught up,” Sadie forced a laugh, “How silly of me.”

“Must have been some serious thinking.”

“Oh no, just a flight of fancy, really.”

Donna frowned. “About what?”

“I just -” despite the cold morning air, Sadie’s face felt hot, “I suppose I was just wishing that nights like this one didn’t have to end. I have such a lovely time with you, Donna Donner.”

Donna took both of Sadie’s hands in hers, smiling. “Well, I have a lovely time with you too Sadie Parker.”

Donna squeezed her hands. Instead of squeezing back, Sadie leaned forward and kissed her.

Donna froze, and for one awful moment Sadie felt her heart clench, but then Donna was kissing her back. Sadie maneuvered them so that Donna’s back was against the wall - after all, she knew this was Donna’s first kiss, it seemed only right that she, as the more experienced of them, take the lead.

They broke apart to catch their breath. Donna’s hair was splayed out around her head, like a golden crown surrounded by a halo of ivy leaves. Donna reached up and tucked Sadie’s hair behind her ear, letting her hand trail down Sadie’s neck to her waist. Sadie leant into the touch.

The morning bell sounded, jolting them both out of the moment.

“That bell has an _awful_ sense of timing,” said Donna.

Sadie laughed, touching their foreheads together. “We had best return to our rooms, lest we get restricted to the grounds for the rest of the term.”

Donna squeezed Sadie’s hand. “I can’t think of anyone better to be restricted with.”

Sadie squeezed back. She was very regretful to let go so that the two of them could scale the lattice.

  
  


They spent almost every day together until college separated them. Even then, there were always breaks and holidays, chances to get away and catch up on the wild places they’d been and the wilder people they’d been seeing.

Those were treasured times, tucked away together in the corner of some bar or another, Donna reaching for Sadie’s hand mid-story and squeezing it, smiling brightly when Sadie squeezed back.

Sometimes, if Sadie had a particularly clingy suitor, they’d have a third party for the first part of the night until they could make their escape.

“Sorry about that, darling,” Sadie would say, as their taxi sped away into the night.

Donna liked to peer out the back window as they disappeared from view, providing the suitor in question had been observant enough to notice them slip out (not all of them were).

“Oh, Sadie,” said Donna, kissing Sadie on the cheek close enough to her lips that it skimmed the line of propriety, “nothing to apologise for. I certainly understand their fervor.”

  
  


After college, things continued in much the same fashion, with the occasional phone call in-between their catch up sessions.

“Donna,” said Sadie the moment Donna picked up the phone, sounding breathless, “you’ll never believe what’s happened.”

“Sadie! Are you alright?”

“Perfectly alright darling, perhaps better even than alright. I’ve met someone, and he’s - I want you to meet him.”

“Well, then I want to meet him as soon as possible,” said Donna, grinning at the joy in Sadie’s voice.

Frank Doyle was well dressed (Sadie’s handiwork, Donna would know it anywhere), got refills of drinks for them without asking, looked at Sadie with just the right amount of awe and adoration, and, most importantly of all, Sadie beamed whenever she looked at him. Donna liked him instantly.

“Doyle,” said Donna, as they exited the bar into the early morning air and walked towards their cabs, “you’re alright.”

Frank paused from where he was draping his coat over Sadie’s shoulders. “I’m glad to pass muster with you, Miss Donner.”

“You sure do,” said Donna, sticking out her hand to shake, “Put her there.”

Sadie laughed, nudging Frank to do so. Frank shook businesslike and fast, his palm rough and warm.

Donna turned to say goodbye to Sadie, who threw her arms around Donna, almost dislodging Frank’s coat.

“Well?” said Sadie, quietly into Donna’s ear, “what do you think?”

“I like him,” whispered back Donna, “he’s got a good way about him.”

“Yes, that’s what I thought too.”

Sadie stepped back, holding both of Donna’s hands in her’s. Donna squeezed her hands, and Sadie squeezed back.

“It’s always so lovely to see you, darling,” said Sadie.

“It’s good to see you, Sadie,” said Donna, as she got into the waiting cab, “don’t be a stranger.”

“ _Never_ ,” said Sadie.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi: mariusperkins.tumblr.com


End file.
